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This will require disabling the airbag system so you don't accidentely blow your head off while working on the steering column. Disconnect the negative battery terminal and wait fifteen minutes. Find the yellow air bag connector under the dash which connects the air bag module to the steering wheel air bag inflator. It usually has a green part on the yellow connector. The connect is double locked, so be careful to disconnect it properly, don't tug hard to separate. The inflator is now "unpowered" and 99% safe.

See your Haynes manual for the proper airbag safety instructions.

There are about 6-8 screws on the underside of the steering column, some are longer than others, so note which screw came out of which hole. Once the screws are apart you should be able to twist the column off, the top and bottom shell have a few tabs to hold them together which can be usually be separated by pressing the lower shell inward. The shell must by gently bent to remove it from the ignition key "ring".

Aside from adding foam weather stripping to the wires, you can also glue thin foam or felt to the lower steering column shell so the wires don't rattle against plastic.

It is actually "normal", and not something you should worry about it the steering function is okay. My Legacy rattles too, but the steering works perfect, direct, plenty of feedback...nothing to be concerned about.

I have a 97 legacy gt and the dealer said the rattle is normal on it and the fixes they do with foam in the column or something like that is just a temp. fix and not worth the $$. t occurs in the U type joint that is in the steering column.

The rattle happens over rough bumps, going up driveways while turning ect. and it has been doing this for a few years now.... the noise doesn't bother me.

Look at page 20 (page 18 is the 1st page) and read the section titled "Steering Knocking/Rattle Noise when turning".

While it isn't a perfect match to your question, it's the closest thing I've ever seen that describes what I hear and feel in the steering wheel when I drive over very rough roads. The thing that I think is different is that I can get it to happen without necessarily turning - although on rough roads just keeping the wheels going straight takes some force and hense the rattle? Dunno...

Thanks for the article...... it is exactly what I have. This article reassures me that the noise is harmless and even though the dealer told me that it was safe and would not result in further damage it always bothered me.....not no more.

The dealer also told me that they have tried the damper fix on other vehicles but it only temporarily fixed the problem and it was not worth the money unless the noise really bothered me.